Rich in Your Love by Pippa Grant

Octavia "Tavi" Lightly is a social media influencer. She's vegan, sugar-free, and exercises regularly. Except, she's a fake. Really, she's just trying to keep her head above water because she's spent her money on a cacao farm. And now that her grandmother has instructed her entire family to move to a tiny town called Tickled Pink, her entire house of cards might come tumbling down. 

Dylan Wright was a wild teen. Now he's the town's only plumber and Tavi's assigned project. Gigi wants her to help Dylan get onto social media to raise the town's profile.

There's some pull and push. It's over the top. Not my favorite Grant story but fine. 

Three stars

This book came out July 12, 2022

Tickled Pink #2

Follows The One who Loves You

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Secrets of the Lost Ledgers by C.J. Archer

Sylvia is starting to understand how to use her magic and that is making her more attuned to other magic. So she is startled to pick up a book and sense that there may be an invisible message. She consults her friend to find out what it says and discovers that it is a message from a relative of the man who the professor explored for so many years. And the author of the message was married to a paper magician. Could that person be her family? 

The investigation leads them into the world of horseracing and across the tracks of an old enemy. The ending was a bit more confusing than it needed to be but it does move the needle on Sylvia finding her family a little bit further.

Three  stars

This book came out September 3, 2024

Glass Library #5

Follows The Dead Letter Delivery

Followed by The Journal of a Thousand Years

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

The One Who Loves You by Pippa Grant

Phoebe Lightly's life is turned upside down when her grandmother chokes on dinner and nearly dies. After a minute in hell, Gigi has decided that the whole family needs to turn their lives around. To do that, they're going to mimic an old move and move to a tiny town called Tickled Pink.

This... is not in Phoebe's life plan. She has been climbing the family's corporate ladder pretty steadily with the aim of one day running everything. She did make a recent misstep but she's still sure she can figure out how to make Gigi proud of her.

Teague is a local resident. His life turned upside down about twenty years ago when he ran away from his family. These days, he's living in a tiny house and coparenting his daughter with his ex-wife and her new wife. When the Lightlys come to town, he's not impressed. But there's something about Phoebe that is intriguing.

The two might have more in common than it seems at first sight but it will take some time for them to figure out what that is and how to be together. 

I'm not loving this new series but my joy in the Thrusters and Fireballs is more in the whole coterie rather than the single books so I'm hoping that will prove to be the case for these as well.

Three stars

This book came out July 12, 2022

Tickled Pink #1

Followed by Rich in Your Love

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Murder at Glenloch Hill by Clara McKenna

Lyndy and Stella need a break, They've got too many people giving them advice on how to move forward with their lives. So they head up to visit some of Stella's relatives in Scotland. Freddie and Alice are heading up with them as well. And who else shows up? Freddie's father, Sir Edwin.

Based on some of the glimpses we see of other characters, Sir Edwin is beloved by no one. So it's no surprise that he ends up dead. Especially since he had been accused of attacking a laundry maid. 

The local police land on a suspect pretty quickly. It's Lyndy. After all, his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon.

This book was fine but I've enjoyed others in the series more.

Three stars

This book comes out November 26, 2024

Follows Murder on Mistletoe Lane

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan

Generations ago, a sailing ship lost a treasure off the coast of Nova Scotia. Decades ago, a group of friends found the treasure. Then, it disappeared. Since then, there has been a society of their offspring dedicated to finding the treasure. But they are all in their eighties and nineties. Or dead. 

This book jumps between characters as well as between the past and present. We also move from first person narration, to third person omniscient, to a different third person omniscient, to some epistolary. And there are layers of the mystery. In other words, there's a lot going on. There's even a touch of fantasy at the end. For someone who doesn't mind a sort of sprawling book that runs all over, this is going to be a great book. 

Three stars

This book came out October 15, 2024

ARC kindly provided by Grove Atlantic and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

I listen to the Lazy Genius podcast and thought I might read Adachi's books. I like reading about ways to simplify life, especially if I can do it lazily. Are any of the ideas really new in the realm of self-help? Not the overall pictures. But I did like the subset of "Let People In" that mentioned not telling people that you're sorry. Don't pre-apologize for things that don't matter.

Three stars

This book came out August 11, 2020

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte

I can't remember why I put this on my TBR list. It's fine (telling you how to better organize your self and your life by using technology). However, I feel like this is one of a number of books that was probably a 10 minute speech that someone enjoyed and had the author try and build it into a larger book.
While none of Forte's ideas are particularly new, they actually acknowledge that by talking about where they got their ideas from.

Three stars

This book came out August 2, 2022

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Blood on the Banisters by Benedict Brown

It's finally time for Christopher's brother to be married to the lovely Cassandra. We've seen them both in previous books in the series so it's an exciting time. At least, for most of them. His brother, Albert, is a bit nervous because there is a tradition on the bride's side that the groom sleeps at her family home the night before the wedding. Cassandra, of course, will be sleeping at his parents' house. Albert is especially nervous because he hasn't yet met her brothers and they will be a feature of their wedding night. 

Oddly, Cassandra's mother, the Duchess of Hinwick, stays at their house rather than sleeping with the other women. And it soon becomes obvious that she is the ruler of their family. Not only that, all of her family members resent her for keeping them on such short leashes. So, it will not be a surprise to the reader to discover that the woman is murdered. What is surprising is that Albert is the one who is discovered to have blood on his hands even though there are many people at the house who have much higher motives for murder. This even includes Cassandra's ex-fiancé who shows up for some of the festivities. 

The ending of this book came as a pretty big shock. The author leaves a note that he has been seeding this ending for awhile but I am not so sure that this ending falls under "fair play." I will, however, be interested to see where the series goes next.

Three stars

This book came out June 16, 2023

Lord Edgington Investigates #10

Follows What the Vicar Saw

Followed by A Killer in the Wings

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Misery Hates Company by Elizabeth Hobbs

Though Marigold Manners family is an old one, she is not surprised to learn upon her parents deaths that they have left her nothing. So her lawyer sends out letters to the furthest reaches of her family and a letter comes back from her mother's cousin, Sophronia, inviting Marigold to Great Misery, an island near Salem. Once she arrives though, things start to become eerie. Almost everyone she meets on the way out to the island tells her she shouldn't want to go there. And she immediately starts to wonder when she gets there. There are arguments and talks of a curse. And something in the ocean that looks like a woman. It very well may have been a woman because it seems like there have been many dead young women washing up on the shore. 

With a family that is as antagonistic as they are "not right," Marigold has a hard road to climb. 

This story was set up as a mystery and it was more of a thriller. Marigold and the atmosphere were both well-developed but other characters felt a bit thin. The ending was a bit out of left field for me but I overall liked the book more than not and think later books by Hobbs may be more enjoyable. 

Three stars

This book comes out November 5, 2024

ARC kindly provided by Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Untitled Books by C.J. Archer

Apparently, books that have never been published might be called "untitled." We're told that a few times in this book. We are also reminded, a lot, that the Glass Library has books about magic, not magic books. It's a small thing but this book isn't that long, was the author afraid that we were going to forget?
It's that point that becomes important when Lady Stanhope comes to the library wanting to know if the books she's just acquired are magical books. She is obsessed with magic and paid quite a bit of money for the set. Of course, neither Sylvia nor the professor are sure though both are intrigued by the books which seem to have been written by an author who was popular many years before for a treacly sweet children's book.
Normally, Sylvia wouldn't care but Gabe and Alex have been pulled into the murder of a bookbinder, the same bookbinder Lady Stanhope bought the books from. Could it be that the books are what the killer was looking for?

Three stars

This book came out September 5, 2023

The Glass Library #3

Follows The Medici Manuscript

Followed by The Dead Letter Delivery

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Dickie Bow has been out of the game for awhile. But when he sees a familiar face, he follows it off a train and onto a bus. But Dickie doesn't make it off the bus. And Jackson Lamb wonders why. Yes, Dickie was an alcoholic and ate terribly but something just feels off. And his suspicion is confirmed by the one word that Dickie has left typed in his phones draft messages.
Suddenly, the members of the Slough House are off and running. But is someone talking out of school and giving information to those outside the unit? And will all of the slow horses be alive at the end of this book?

Three stars
This book came out 

Slough House #2

Follows Slow Horses

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Irresistible Trouble by Pippa Grant

Cooper Rock is a baseball god. But his game is in the toilet. His superstition is that he does better when he's having sex. And he hasn't been having sex. Mostly because he's run in to Waverly again.
We've seen Waverly peripherally in previous books. She's a rock star at the Taylor Swift level. But she's got issues. And Cooper Rock is one of them. Eight years ago, they slept together and she never heard from him again. She doesn't know that her aunt Zinnia (also her manager) scared him away.
Now that they've met again, they know that the attraction is still there. But can two incredibly busy people make a real connection?

Three stars

This book came out September 29, 2022

Copper Valley Fireballs #4

Follows The Grumpy Player Next Door

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

Bowen Penhallow is a loner (except for his friend Declan who is, admittedly, a ghost). But he has been having a bit of back and forth with Tamsyn Bligh. She is a procurer of magical items. How does she get them? Eh. Maybe best not to ask. But she is a human who is not put off by magical things. She does enjoy meeting Bowen. 

But when she arrives at a house party and realizes that he is there too, she's a bit shocked. Even more shocking is a spell that sends them back in time where they will need to help his grandparents fall in love. They do adjust the course of history, but they also fall in love.

The plotlines don't quite all fit together but it's an overall fun story.

Three and a half stars

The Ex Hex #3

This book comes out October 8, 2024

Follows The Kiss Curse

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyage, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce is back! And this time, it's someone close to her who's been accused of murder. In fact, the opening scene is Inspector Hewitt interrogating Mrs. Mullet. It turns out, a man she's been cooking for, General (a minor government employee by his own words), has died. The coroner is saying it's mushroom poisoning. But Flavia is on the case.

What she uncovers is actually deeper than a mistaken mushroom picking. In fact, what she discovers is going to upend her world. 

I go back and forth between enjoying these books. Flavia believes that she knows all and that she is always right about everything? Are there people in the world like that? Yes. Do I mind reading books about people like that? No. As long as they seem like they are growing in some way. Flavia... does not. Also, Undine is so annoying. That may be because Bradley is a deft writer who makes you feel his characters emotions but I do not like her even when Flavia does.

Three stars

This book came out September 3, 2024

Flavia de Luce #11

Follows The Golden Tresses of the Dead

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinion
s are my own

Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews

It's Christmastime but that doesn't mean much to Roman. Usually he gets some time off from being the Black Volhv for Chernobog, God of Destruction, Darkness, and Death. But this morning he's woken up to no eggnog and no cookies. Also, there are a wounded boy with a German Shepard puppy (sort of) who are seeking sanctuary in his house. Because he's not already full up with evil animals. But he can't abide the fact that there are a number of men trying to hunt this boy down for no discernable reason. Plus, the hunters are just pissing him off. 

This series is adjacent to Kate Daniels and doesn't have as strong a start as the Iron Covenant but I think it's going to grow into some great books.

Three stars

This book came out July 30, 2024

Roman’s Chronicles, #1

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets by Kate Khavari

Saffron has just gotten back from a botany conference in France. It didn't go quite the way she had hoped (sexism, sexism everywhere.) And getting back, she's still having to prove her place in the department. Luckily, Alexander is back from the Amazon and he's a bright light. 

In this book, we meet some brothers. Adrian, Alexander's brother was more connected to their mother's family (more Greek) while Alexander tended more toward their English father's lifestyle. He seems to be a part of the hard partying Bright Young Things.

Also hard partying? Saffron's friend and roommate Eliza. She also has a long-lost brother showing up out of the blue. Nicholas is even more mysterious. He didn't show up for their brother's funeral (Saffron's sweetheart) but he's here now and asking Saffron for help. But his question isn't as innocent as it appears and suddenly Saffron, Alexander, Eliza, and Nicholas are all in danger. 

Apparently everyone who meets her is just smitten by Saffron. No. Nearly every time she meets someone male they are overly interested in her. I think I'll try another book in the series but I'm almost ready to let this one go. In addition to the "everyone falls in love with Saffron", there are some reaches to get her involved in the mystery though at least one of the new characters may add some ways in.

Three stars

This book came out June 4, 2024

Saffron Everleigh Mysteries #3 

Follows A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality

Followed by A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines

Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends are in Tupelo. While there, a fabulous replica of Elvis's belt is stolen and she and Tinkie are called in to help. This isn't their home turf so it's definitely harder than usual to figure out what is going on. There are a number of musical opportunities and no end to who might have stolen the belt. 

I wasn't sure that the final suspects were really believable as such. There are a number of Elvis-related puns that were fun to read but did get to be a lot to wade through. 

Three stars

Sarah Booth Delaney #28

This book comes out October 15, 2024

Follows Lights, Camera, Bones

ARC kindly provided by Minotaur Books and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon with Siiri Scott (Narrator)

Cash is 19 and not really thinking about her life. She works as a farm laborer (like she has since she was young) and she uses a fake ID to hustle pool and win free beers. There's a guy she's been hanging around with, Jim. He's got a wife and kids but she doesn't think about that. Really, just puts it out of her mind. Forefront in her mind though? The unknown Native American who was killed in a nearby farm field.

Between her dreams and a request from the sheriff, Cash discovers the name of the man's wife and heads over to talk to her. That leads to her getting involved in uncovering the murder.

Why would a request from the sheriff work on her? He's rescued her in any number of ways and has been a constant adult presence in her life. He's not quite a father figure but not NOT a father figure either so she wants to help. 

It's a fairly simple mystery and is really more about building the characters than creating a complicated story. Definitely interesting but I didn't love it as much as one of the ladies in my book club.

Three stars

This book came out February 20, 2017

Cash Blackbear Mysteries #1

Followed by Girl Gone Missing

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Medici Manuscript by C.J. Archer

Sylvia is still working in Glass Library with Professor Nash and they've discovered an interesting manuscript. There are markings that seem like the book may have come from the well-known Medici family. But there are other markings as well. Some that seem like they might point to some potent magic. 

The whole gang is there again, Sylvia's friend, Gabe, Gabe's aunt, and his friend. And they're all trying  to figure out what they mean. But then the book disappears. Plus, there's the whole "people trying to kidnap Gabe" issue and him discovering more about his own magic.

An interesting addition to the series and at least one impediment to the path for Sylvia and Gabe gets removed. But that plot point could come back later.

Three stars
This book came out March 7, 2023

Follows The Librarian of Crooked Lane

Followed by The Untitled Books

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Family Reunion by Brenda Jackson

Ethan Bennett married off his children and now he's working on the younger generation. He's got four grandchildren who need to find love. In order to help pull them through, he's planning the first Bennett family reunion in fifteen years. Well, he's not, he's turning it over to a cousin or sister or some other woman (because why would he actually do the planning and she likes to do that stuff). 

We meet the grandchildren, Taye who was supposedly the smartest of them all but got pregnant young and disappointed the family (now has two daughters), Michael (adopted) who is a pilot with a teenage daughter who is running out of control, Alexia who is a rock idol, and Rae'Jean who is a doctor dating a man (who is white which is causing issues in the family.)

The first half or so of the book is at the reunion and the back half is over a series of months. This book is definitely an earlier Jackson with all sorts of racial and gender storylines that I don't think she would use now. I was honestly surprised it came out in the early 2000s. It's a fine enough book but she has better.

Three stars

This book came out September 17, 2001

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own